Flower blossom shipping and display container



M. L. WOOD July 5, 1966 FLOWER BLOSSOM SHIPPING AND DISPLAY CONTAINER I Filed Feb. 18, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 //Vl/E/V MARV/N L W000 J%M ATT RNEY M. L. WOOD 3,259,234

FLOWER BLOSSOM SHIPPING AND DISPLAY CONTAINER July 5, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 18, 1965 zgii United States Patent 3,259,234 FLOWER BLOSSOM SHIPPING AND DISPLAY CONTAINER Marvin L. Wood, 9494 Kenwood Road, Cincinnati, Ohio Filed Feb. 18, 1965, Ser. No. 433,566 Claims. (Cl. 206-4514) My invention relates to a protective device for crushable items enclosed in cartons for delivery by mail.

It is an object of my invention to provide a protective support for a flower blossom while it is inside of a shipping carton that will prevent the blossom from being crushed.

Another object of my invention is to provide an aesthetic shipping container for a flower blossom that can be secured in a mailing carton and upon reaching an addressee can be easily removed from the carton and used as a support and display of the flower blossom.

Generally, it is an object of my invention to provide a means for shipping a flower .in a carton through the mail, to protect the blossom from being crushed while in transit through the mail and to provide a self contained support to display the flower after delivery and removal from the carton.

These and other objects of my invention will become apparent from the description and drawings comprising this application.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of one of two blanks from which my protective device for a flower blossom support is assembled.

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view after the blanks have been assembled.

FIGURE 3 is a section taken on line 3-3 of FIG- URE 1.

FIGURE 4 is a section taken on line 4-4 of FIG- URE 2.

FIGURE 5 is a view in elevation showing my flower blossom support with a carnation protected and displayed therein.

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary bottom view of my flower blossom holder showing the means for latching a flower vase in place.

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary bottom view showing the flower vase in unlatched position.

FIGURE 8 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the latch on the bottom of a flower vase in the flower blossom holder.

FIGURE 9 is a plan in elevation showing my flower holder inside of a transparent bag.

FIGURE l0 is a perspective view of an enlarged transparent plastic vase. 7

Referring to FIGURE 1, I have illustrated a blank 1 of flexible material such as plastic of suflicient stiflness that it will remain erect when it is in an upright position. An opening 2 centrally located forms a three-dimensional frame for a flower blossom 3 when two of the blanks are assembled together to form an erect free standing frame as shown in FIGURES 2 and 5 Two pairs of slits 4 are cut in the blanks. One pair of slits 5 extend upward from the opening 2 while the other pair of slits 7 extend upwardly from the bottom 6 of blank 1. When assembled each of the two blanks is folded to form a dihedral angle with the two plane sides meeting at righ angles, see FIG- URES 3, 4, 6 and 7 and when two of the folded blanks are assembled four legs 8 are disposed ninety degrees apart to form a base. My X-shaped holder is formed by assembling two of the blanks with one blank inverted in relation to the other. The slits 7 of one blank are inserted in the slits 5 of the other blank while the slits 5 of the inverted blank are inserted in the slits 7 of the other 3,259,234 Patented July 5, 1966 blank so as to form the assembly shown in FIGURE 2. When the blanks are assembled a central hollow holder 9 for a flower blossom stem or vase 10 is formed. The holder is concentric with the vertical axis of the X-shaped holder. When a blossom is placed in the holder the entire device is in equilibrium and stands erect. The flower blossom vase has a hollow receptacle 11 for liquid that terminates in a triangular or a rectangular bottom making a finger grip 12 with arms 13 that extend outwardly from the bottom portion of the vase. The arms 13 have surfaces 14 that contaot on edges 15 and 16 of the holder 9 and hold them in locked assembled position relative to each other, see FIGURES 4, 5, 6 and 8. The flower blossom vase is inserted in the hollow cylindrical holder and rotated to bring the surfaces 14 in contact with the edges 15 and 1-6. The flower blossom has a stem that extends through a cap 17 into the flower blossom vase to absorb liquid that is sealed in it by by the cap to preserve the flower during shipment. While I have illustrated curved edges 18 as a preferred shape, it is not intended to limit it to this formation. The edges 18 are adapted to slide down into corners 19 of a carton 20 to secure my X- shaped holder from movement when it is held in the carton and while it is in transit through the mail. A carton 20 is shown in broken lines in FIGURE 4. When the edges 18 are confined in the corners of the carton the blossom is held out of contact from the sides of the carton and the blossom holder prevents the carton from collapsing and thereby preserves the blossom from destruction. Before placing the blossom in the holder in the carton the holder is placed and sealed in a moisture proof bag 21 to prevent excess evaporation during shipment of the blossom.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A flower shipping and display container in combination with a carton comprising radiating panels about a common vertical axis of said container, a global opening central of said panels concentric about said vertical axis of said container, a vertical concentric tube about said vertical axis and a tubular holder for a flower adapted to be rotatably secured in said tube to stabilize and retain said container in a balanced vertical standing position, and means on an end of said tubular flower holder to secure said radiating panels in fixed relation each to the other, and edges of said container adapted to be nested in corners of said carton to prevent said flower from being crushed when said flower is positioned within said carton.

2. A first blank adapted to be engaged with a second blank identical with said first blank .in order to form a flower shipping and display container, said blank comprising a flat oblong piece of flexible material of sufficient stiffness that it can remain in an upright position when stood on end, there being a large oval opening centrally located in said blank;

two pairs of slits cut in said blank to provide means to interlock two such blanks to form said container, namely, a first pair of slits parallel to each other and extending inwardly from the periphery of said blank toward said centrally located opening and a second pair of slits parallel to each other and extending outwardly toward the outer periphery of said blank; each of said slits being parallel to an axis bisecting said blank along its length and each of said slits being offset from said axis by substantially equal amounts; and lobes located at the four corners of said blank.

3. A flower shipping and display container consisting of a pair of blanks as defined in claim 2 and assembled by bringing two of said blanks together as follows:

bending one of said blanks along said axis to form a right dihedral angle;

bending a second one of said blanks to form a right dihedral angle;

inverting one blank with respect to the other;

and then inserting the first pair of slits of the first blank into the second pair of slits of the second blank and the second pair of slits of the first blank into the first pair of slits of the second blank so that the portions of the two blanks between said pairs of slits define a centrally located holder adapted to receive a flower stem or vase;

the large oval opening being adapted to receive the flower blossom being located directly above said holder.

4. A flower shipping and display container comprising References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS D. 156,471 12/ 1949 Winchester.

981,485 1/1911 Seldin 248l74 X 1,879,837 9/1932 Bierlich 248'l74 X THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner.

two blanks assembled as in claim 3 and inserted into a rec- 5 J. M. CASKIE, Assistant Examiner. 

2. A FIRST BLANK ADAPTED TO BE ENGAGED WITH A SECOND BLANK IDENTICAL WITH SAID FIRST BLANK IN ORDER TO FORM A FLOWER SHIPPING AND DISPLAY CONTAINER, SAID BLANK COMPRISING A FLAT OBLONG PIECE OF FLEXIBLE MATERIAL OF SUFFICIENT STIFFNESS THAT IT CAN REMAIN IN AN UPRIGHT POSITION WHEN STOOD ON END, THERE BEING A LARGE OVAL OPENING CENTRALLY LOCATED IN SAID BLANK; TWO PAIRS OF SLITS CUT IN SAID BLANKS TO PROVIDE MEANS TO INTERLOCK TWO SUCH BLANKS STO FORM SAID CONTAINER, NAMELY, A FIRST PAIR OF SLITS PARALLEL TO EACH OTHER AND EXTENDING INWARDLY FROM THE PERIPHERY OF SAID BLANK TOWARD SAID CENTRALLY LOCATED OPENING AND A SECOND PAIR OF SLITS PARALLEL TO EACH OTHER AND EXTENDING OUTWARDLY TOWARD THE OUTER PERIPHERY OF SAID BLANK EACH OF SAID SLITS BEING PARALLEL TO AN AXIS BISECTING SAID BLANK ALONG ITS LENGTH AND EACH OF SAID SLITS BEING OFFSET FROM SAID AXIS BY SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL AMOUNTS; AND LOBES LOCATED AT THE FOUR CORNERS OF SAID BLANK. 